A very sad question.

[Nicksemianiw]

What is the difference between a open LSD and a viscous LSD?

[navysnail]

an open differential isnt acaully an LSD. open will give power to the inside wheel when you make a turn, where as the viscous uses a very thick goo to transfer power to both wheels, while still allowing it to slip. its kind of hard to understand, if you go to http://www.howstuffworks.com and search for differential, it has a very good explination of all the different types and how they work

[Fenvy]

one is open and one is viscous

jk

open differential is just open, both wheel spins freely, viscous use the visciousity of LSD fluid to spin the other wheel when 1 wheel lose traction

[ddgsxr504]

Think of it this way, when you turn a corner and floor it the inside wheel will just spin but with a VLSD it will transfer power from (THE WHEEL THAT SLIP TO THE WHEEL THAT GRIPS) I don't know if you have ever heard that saying but that's pretty much it. Also it transfers power through the use of friction plates that when get hot, (like spinning tires) start to rub and heat up which causes friction and makes them stick together transferring power to the other wheel that is doing nothing. Hope that helps

[Camel]

You guys are just confusing him. Here is the simple explanation:

Taken from: http://www.240sx.org/links/installs/lsd2/index.htm

Now the factory 240 (with a few exceptions) use what's called an 'open rear end'. In this setup both tires are basically free to spin at whatever speed they want to, this has one good side and a bad side. The good side is that when going around a turn the tires don't 'scrub' or 'hop' around since they will be traveling at different speeds (outside tire has farther to go so it spins faster). If you had a solid axle (or welded the 2 halves of the differential together) you would have killer grip in a straight line but handling would be extremely bad. The bad side of the open rear end is that since both tires are free to spin at whatever speed they want, whichever tire has less grip (the one spinning) will get more power transferred to it which will cause it to spin more, which will cause it to loose more grip and spin more which............. anyhow it's not a good cycle.

The LSD comes into play right here, LIMITED SLIP comes to the rescue by stopping the loss in grip by recognizing that one tire is spinning and then transferring the power to the other wheel that has grip. The type of rear end I'm using is called a Viscous LSD which means it uses silicone and 2 plates to operate. The simplified explanation of how this works is that there is a plate stuck on the end of each shaft. These plates spin at the same speed as the wheel they are attached to. When one wheel looses grip and starts to spin faster it creates friction between the two plates due to the difference in speed. This friction heats up the silicone floating around causing it to expand. When the silicone expands it pushes on the other plate 'locking' it to the one that's spinning. This locking is what causes the other wheel to push.

[Nicksemianiw]

But whats better for drifting? And also in a straight line i want BOTH of my tires to lock up and spin not just one. I did a brake stand and only one tire spun lol

Nick

[Chingon]

for driftingopen<welded<vlsd<hlsd<clsd

[Nicksemianiw]

So open is the best?

[Dirtylou]

NOO!!!take it from me, open is NOT the best. I can vouche for that. An open diff is just spins and doesn't get traction while an lsd makes both wheels turn forward (acceleration)...Limited Slip Differential. It limits the spin by giving both wheels torque.

I hope I don't confuse you here; An open diff that is welded at the spider gears will make both wheels spin at the same speed. Arguably bad drivability, but (so I here) good traction performance. Thats a welded diff.

Off topic but is one of your lights a triple beam and the other a dual?... or is it the angle?

[Chingon]

<=less>=more

[Nicksemianiw]

HAHAHA yea, though not many people notice it. I just have to instal my other doubel projector headlight.

But all in all what will be better for drag racing and drifting? Whats the top choice?

[Chingon]

clsd for both

[Nicksemianiw]

I forgot somthing, what would be better for city driving and drag racing and drifting? I am herd from some people that Open diff is

[Camel]

they are idiots. bottom line, you need a locking differential for ANY kind of performance driving. welded is fine for a drag only car that will never see the street. Now go finish your homework. Next time use google first.

[Chingon]

yeah man, it surprises me you own that car and know nothing about lsd. Go to http://www.howstuffworks.com and search lsd.

[Nicksemianiw]

No its not that i dont know anything about LSDs, its just before i drop 1000 $ canadian on a LSD i want to make sure i dont fu*k up on picking one out. I just wanted to check with the gurus on here. Just so i dont make a mistake.

[Chingon]

Well, my take. You want a 1.5 way clutch lsd for street/drift/drag. You want a 2 way clutch lsd for drift and drag only, although some can handle them ok in the street. A helical lsd (s15 silvia R) are good compromises as well, but are not ideal for drag/drift. A vlsd is the worst lsd you can get, and an open is the worst differential you can get (performance wise, not durability wise).

[Nicksemianiw]

Yea but on the KAAZ site the LSD they offer for the S13s are a Open Diff and a VLSD. But i am guessing the open diff fron KAAZ is a clutch diff. Doesent it have somthing like 16 clutches? the 2 way.But what LSD from KAAZ do i pick, its either open or a VSLD. And when you said some 2 way LSDs can handdel ok on the street are you talking about the KAAZ 2 way because i have herd its not that bad on the roads unless you are doing dumb sh*t and going to fast.

[Chingon]

Yea but on the KAAZ site the LSD they offer for the S13s are a Open Diff and a VLSD. But i am guessing the open diff fron KAAZ is a clutch diff. Doesent it have somthing like 16 clutches? the 2 way.But what LSD from KAAZ do i pick, its either open or a VSLD. And when you said some 2 way LSDs can handdel ok on the street are you talking about the KAAZ 2 way because i have herd its not that bad on the roads unless you are doing dumb sh*t and going to fast.

Ok..you are confusing yourself. What they mean in the kaaz site is that you either choose open or vlsd if your car came equipped w/it. In other words, the differential carriers (pumpkins/cases) are different for open and vlsd. You have to find out if your car has an open or vlsd from the factory. KAAZ only makes clutch lsds that are installed into the stock pumpkin. I believe the lsds are otherwise identical for both vlsd/open differentials (performance wise) but not installation wise. So, find out what you have, then go from there. What I meant about the 2 way lsds, is that if you are a decent driver (w/maybe some track time), you may be able to handle 2 way in the streets, but if you are a newb that does not know how a 2 way responds in the curves, it'd be better to stick to a 1.5.

[crzycav86]

STOP!

Before you do anything else to your car, read this article: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/differential.htm

IIRC, all canadian model 240's come equipped with vlsd... but you should verify that with your canadian buddies. ..or you can do the wheel-spinning test.

[Nicksemianiw]

From what my friend tells me i dont have any type of LSD i have a 89 240 coupe

[Camel]

He is probably right about the 89 not having a vlsd. And by the way chingon, there is nothing wrong with a vlsd if you are just doing performance oriented dtreet driving. anything more would require something better.

[Nicksemianiw]

Ok so i have decided on what type to get. I'm going to get the KAAZ 2 way LSD, but what one is better the VSLD or the Open?

[Camel]

You have an open diff in your car. The KAAZ that is built for the open diff is what you need. Then you have it installed in the housing.

So if it is the KAAZ 2-way you are getting, this conversation is over. Good luck, and have fun once you get it.

[Nicksemianiw]

but i dont have any type of lsd in my car so does it matter weather i get the VLSD or open

[Camel]

I don't mean to be a jerk, but you are now sounding like a repetetive dumba$$.

You need the lsd designed for the open diff carrier and shafts. Call KAAZ or a KAAZ dealer if you need more info.

[Nicksemianiw]

I just find it a bit confusing, sory for being a pain i wasent sure, and like i said before i dont want to make a 1000 $ mistake.

Nick

[onosqv]

I just find it a bit confusing, sory for being a pain i wasent sure, and like i said before i dont want to make a 1000 $ mistake.

Nick

Simply put, you can't make a mistake (theoretically). No matter what lsd you upgrade to, it will perform better than your open diff. Case closed.

And please, next time you post, read the differential pages & carefully read what companies sell (kaaz replacement for vehicles EQUIPPED w/ open -> like the other guys said, read).

Don't feel obliged to post back right away. Read what everyone's said, read the links, do some searching... THEN post back.

Most people on here are nice, but like Camel said, if you keep asking the same question w/o showing signs of at least taking some time and doing some research, then people are going to stop helping you.

Open: what you have -> the worst, but "can" be used, some argue you can't "truly" drift in an open diff, but it's all technical over zealous crap. If you can slide around in an open diff & control it, then when you go to lsd, you will be even in more control.

VLSD: cheaper choice - goes around 200-500 depending on condition and what you get. You should SEARCH for these threads, there are plenty of threads on which ones bolt up, etc.

1.5 way LSD: good for an overall improvement in everything. Best compromise so to speak for a daily driven car w/ drifting & dragging.

2 way: good (arguably the best for drag/drift) but less drivability. You can search for 2 way lsd on these boards (as well as google) and read the issues people have w/ 2 way lsds and their clunking/noise / drivability, etc.

And just so you know, if you post one more time asking which lsd to get now that we've all spoon fed you the information, there's gonna be some gangsta **** going up in here (hahahaha, just saw "Be Cool" - couldn't help it).

[Nicksemianiw]

LOL